You Have Been Defended [EN]: Chapter 354

You Have Been Defended – Episode 354

In truth, my connection with Hanyoung Group, which includes Hanyoung Life Insurance as an affiliate, isn’t exactly a deeply intertwined relationship.

Seol Hyeong-seok, who fell into a vegetative state after suffering shock from an adverse reaction to antibiotics following his glioblastoma surgery, remains unconscious. The person responsible for Seol Hyeong-seok’s condition was apprehended, and it turned out to be his brother, Seol Hyo-seok. From Chairman Seol Jeong-jun’s perspective, it was as if he lost two sons because of me.

Moreover, I don’t have a direct connection with Chairman Seol Jeong-jun; Lee Se-hwa barely made him aware of my existence.

I did meet with Chief Bae directly, but it’s unlikely he sees me as merely a ‘naive lawyer struggling to save my client.’

Back then, I was desperate to save Dongjin, so I admit I used rather blunt language to appeal to his inherent greed.

Still, Chief Bae sent a wreath to Attorney Jung’s office opening in Chairman Seol Jeong-jun’s name.

Wouldn’t it be reasonable to ask for this much?

Now that I know Hanyoung Life Insurance is the most likely insurer for Byun Seung-min, I can’t simply stand idly by.

* * *

The next day, as soon as I arrived at work, I closed my office door and sent a text message to Chief Bae.

I was asking if he was available for a call, and he seemed to have checked his phone immediately because he called right back.

-Ah, Attorney Cha. It’s been a while. I believe this is the first time we’ve spoken since we sent the wreath.

“How have you been?”

-I’m doing well. You sound healthy. It seems you’ve recovered from all the difficulties you’ve faced.

“It has been a while.”

-That’s good. But, what can I do for you?

“I’m calling to ask for a favor. Please feel free to decline if it makes you uncomfortable.”

-Let’s hear it.

“I’m currently handling a case.”

Chief Bae chuckled at my words.

-It reminds me of when you contacted me about Executive Director Seol. But what is it about?

“It’s a murder case, and I’m defending the defendant who has been wrongly accused. I discovered someone took out a life insurance policy under the guise of being the deceased’s boyfriend.”

-Are you suggesting that the policy might be with Hanyoung Life Insurance?

“Yes, that’s right. I’m not certain, but it appears to be Hanyoung Life Insurance, and there seems to be a dispute over the insurance payout. I contacted you because I wanted to know if he did indeed take out insurance with Hanyoung Life Insurance, and if so, I wanted to understand the circumstances surrounding the enrollment at the time.”

-I see. A murder case with a wrongful accusation… And the boyfriend took out the insurance. It would be difficult for us to simply approve the insurance claim.

“That’s likely the case. The insurance company is probably waiting for the trial results before making a payout decision.”

-I’ll look into it and get back to you. Could you text me his personal information? His name, date of birth, and phone number should suffice.”

“Thank you.”

After the call, I sent Byun Seung-min’s personal information to Chief Bae.

He likely has at least one policy with Hanyoung Life Insurance.

Given that he’s expected to have multiple policies, there’s no reason to avoid Hanyoung Life Insurance, which offers competitive rates.

“Attorney Cha.”

Just as I was considering making a cup of coffee and continuing to prepare for the trial, the door opened, and Kang Min-jae entered.

More accurately, a hand holding a carrier with two coffees came in first, followed by Kang Min-jae.

Seeing that there were two carriers attached, it seemed he had already given one to Office Manager Oh.

“Let’s have a cup of coffee.”

“I wanted to talk to you anyway. Sit down.”

“What is it? Am I getting fired?”

Does he still find those jokes amusing?

As Kang Min-jae placed the coffee on the desk, I gestured to the chair across from me.

Kang Min-jae sat down with a puzzled expression, and I explained the audio I had received from Tae-sik the previous night and my reasoning.

“So, what did your contact at Hanyoung Group say?”

“He said he’ll check and get back to me. He estimated it would take a day or two.”

“I knew he was unlucky from the start. But looking at that picture, it’s clear that Go Yoon-seok and Go Yoon-ho killed him. It doesn’t seem like Byun Seung-min was the killer.”

“That’s for sure. Since he was hiding and taking pictures, he certainly didn’t participate in the act, and Byun Seung-min wasn’t involved in disposing of the body either.”

“So, he just watched the butler die and won’t be punished.”

“Unless the Good Samaritan Law [a law that offers legal protection to people who give reasonable assistance to those who are, or whom they believe to be, injured, ill, in peril, or otherwise incapacitated] is enacted, there’s no chance he’ll be punished in this case.”

But we can consider this possibility.

There’s no concrete basis for it, and it’s purely speculation, but what if Byun Seung-min orchestrated Go Yoon-ho and Go Yoon-seok to kill the butler?

Based on the current situation, it seems that Go Yoon-ho and Go Yoon-seok didn’t initially intend to kill the butler.

But Byun Seung-min couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he decided to manipulate them into causing the butler’s death.

I don’t know what method he used, but if that premise is true, it might be possible.

Of course, it’s just an assumption fueled by my desire for Byun Seung-min to be punished.

“…Then he could receive the insurance money.”

“Well, we’ll need to investigate that further. I’ll let you know when I get a call.”

“I understand. Ha, the trial is rapidly approaching. Let’s give it our best, together.”

* * *

Kim Hwa-young’s Second Trial Date

2:56 PM

Seoul Central District Court.

“The second trial of actress Kim Hwa-young, who is charged with killing the villa manager, is about to begin. Kim Hwa-young is maintaining her innocence, so a fierce legal battle is anticipated.”

Among the reporters who were shoving microphones forward, eager to capture any statement from Kim Hwa-young, a reporter’s voice delivering the news could be heard.

“Kim Hwa-young! Kim Hwa-young, please look this way! Kim Hwa-young!”

It was chaotic.

The more the reporters swarmed Kim Hwa-young, the more Kang Min-jae shielded her with his arms, pushing through the crowd into the courthouse.

The reporters who had secured coveted spots in the press pool raised their heads, appearing composed, as they watched Kim Hwa-young bow her head and enter the courthouse, which made me chuckle wryly.

Perhaps some of them were reporters in disguise, hired to undermine Kim Hwa-young’s mental state.

The first trial was held behind closed doors at the judge’s discretion, but the fact that the second trial is being conducted publicly is essentially Wooshin’s act of sabotage.

Since Kim Hwa-young can’t reveal her affair with Go Sang-jun first because of Kim Chan-young anyway, they didn’t even see the value of having a closed trial.

In a way, I might have to say that Go Sang-jun made the right call.

We also can’t bear the thought of Kim Hwa-young being wrongly accused, labeled a murderer, and subjected to public criticism, so we determined that revealing the affair would be a major setback.

Anyway, in this trial, we don’t need to reveal who the real culprit is.

We simply need to establish that Kim Hwa-young is not the perpetrator.

Even if we reveal it, they can simply claim that they suddenly appeared and that’s what happened.

We should avoid Kim Hwa-young admitting to an affair with Go Sang-jun as much as possible, to prevent her from being caught in the legal ramifications of adultery, which still exists at this point in time.

“Kim Hwa-young! Is it true that you killed the villa manager!”

“You’re claiming innocence, but do you have any words for the villa manager!”

“He was a young man with a promising future! Do you really have nothing to say?”

“…”

Kim Hwa-young did not respond to the questions that already presumed her guilt.

The doctor advised that Kim Hwa-young had to attend court and that facing the reporters was unavoidable, so he prescribed her medication accordingly.

It’s a medication that calms her down and prevents her from becoming agitated, and he assured us that there would be no unexpected behavior in court, so I don’t think we need to worry about that.

“Everything will be revealed in court. Please refrain from making baseless accusations.”

Kang Min-jae stated firmly, then wrapped his arms around Kim Hwa-young and entered the courthouse.

The sound of flashing lights and the reporters shouting Kim Hwa-young’s name continued to cause a commotion even inside the courthouse, prompting the court police to intervene.

“Kim Hwa-young, are you okay?”

Kim Hwa-young, who entered the court 4 minutes before the trial began and stood in front of the courtroom in 2 minutes, accepted a water bottle from Kang Min-jae and offered a faint smile.

“Thank you, Attorney Kang.”

“You’re welcome. You’re going into trial now. You’ve been through this once, right? Try not to be too nervous, and as I mentioned the day before yesterday, the evidence and witnesses are all prepared, so don’t worry too much. Just endure this moment, that’s what you should focus on.”

Kang Min-jae went to Hanyoung Hospital in advance to pick up Kim Hwa-young and her brother and came to the courthouse, and I confirmed that Tae-sik had brought Byun Seung-min here safely.

Byun Seung-min, whose face looked healthier as if he had been eating and sleeping well, immediately asked to see the money as soon as he saw me.

I have no intention of giving it to him yet, but he insisted he would only testify if I showed him the money, so I had the money prepared.

400 million won [approximately $300,000 USD].

It was the first time I had ever held 400 million won in cash, and I thought to myself.

It must be incredibly difficult for politicians to raise funds.

“I’ll go meet Byun Seung-min and come back. Take Kim Hwa-young into the courtroom.”

I patted Kang Min-jae on the shoulder and went outside.

At the end of the line of spectators waiting in front of the courtroom, I saw Byun Seung-min, tightly squeezed between Tae-sik and Jun-beom.

He seemed to be preparing to stand in line.

“Did you make sure he memorized the script well?”

“Yes. He memorized it perfectly.”

At Tae-sik’s response, Byun Seung-min lowered his voice and said.

“You’ll give it to me right after the trial is over.”

“No. I’ll give it to you when Kim Hwa-young is acquitted. Didn’t I tell you that?”

“I know. That’s it.”

Does he not realize that there’s a significant gap between the trial date and the sentencing date?

He seems to be misunderstanding, but I didn’t think it was worth correcting him in such a crowded place, so I went straight into the courtroom.

Shortly after I took my seat at the defense table, the spectators began to file into the audience seats.

Among them were Byun Seung-min, still wedged between Tae-sik and Jun-beom, and several lawyers from Taekwang.

Ironically, the most noticeable person was my ex-wife.

Did she come to confirm that she was right, that I was arrogant to take on this case?

I laughed humorlessly.

“…”

Then, I spotted Hwang Young-chan sitting at the end with a blank expression.

In this life, he has become a relatively insignificant figure, but he was once a person who played a major role in my life as a prosecutor, so my eyes were naturally drawn to him.

If nothing had happened, he would likely be in the position of the third chief prosecutor by now, but I heard that he is still a senior prosecutor.

He once tried to protect Go Yoon-seong by using Yang Han-seok as a pawn, but he failed.

Was he abandoned after that?

Or is he still acting as a shield for Go Yoon-ho and Go Yoon-seok?

Seeing that he came all the way to watch the trial, I suspect he might be involved in some way.

“Everyone, please stand up.”

Shortly after, three judges entered the courtroom.

“The trial will now begin.”